Flat panel video displays, such as plasma televisions, LCD displays, and the like, are becoming very popular. As a result, flat panel video displays are used in a wide variety of viewing areas from family rooms to boardrooms. Many manufacturers are accordingly entering into this segment of the market with many different models of video displays that have different shapes and sizes. As such, there is also a vast array of different mounting devices (e.g., floor stands, wall mounts, and/or ceiling brackets) and mounting techniques to secure flat panel video displays to walls or other support mediums.
Most traditional mounting devices allow a viewer to tilt or otherwise adjust the relative location of video displays for optimum viewing performance. Because many video displays and corresponding mounting devices can be relatively heavy, one concern with adjusting the location of the video displays is the force required to move the video displays to the desired location. One approach to overcome this problem is tilting or adjusting a video display about the center of gravity of the video display and corresponding mounting device to (a) minimize the force required to balance and/or position the video display, and (b) reduce the force required to hold the video display in the desired position after adjustment. One conventional mounting device for adjusting the location of a flat panel video display, for example, includes a mounting assembly having a single fixed pivot point proximate the center of gravity of the video display and the corresponding mounting device. The video display can be moved about the single pivot point for adjustment.
One drawback with this approach is that as the video display is pivoted to the outer extremes of its range of movement, the defined center of gravity (and, accordingly, the pivot point) can move substantially away from the actual center of gravity of the assembly. As such, an excessive amount of force may be required to hold the video display in the desired positions at such at such extreme ranges. Furthermore, it may be difficult to prevent inadvertent movement of the video display at such outer extremes because of the force required to hold the video display in place. Accordingly, there is a need to improve the systems and methods for mounting flat panel video displays.